Friday, March 16, 2007
I finally watched this movie last night but I cannot give a complete review on it because I fell asleep about 30 minutes in, but woke up just in time for the grand finale in the slaughter house. I fell asleep because it was not too good of a movie. It was not a documentary like Super Size Me but a drama which centered on a particular fast food restaurant and how damaging their business practices are to society. From the gathering of slave labor in Mexico to the eventual slaughter of thousands of animals, and everything in between; it was disturbing.
Here is where I am a hypocrite (everybody has one thing, right?) I hate the slaughtering of animals but yet I am addicted to meat. I love to barbeque over the open fire; steak is my favorite meal. I have seen what happens in a slaughter house and it truly disturbs me yet I cannot end my addiction to meat. Every once in a while I will eat only a salad if I’m not too hungry or have an upset stomach, but I am not truly satisfied until I eat meat. I have tried many times to change this behavior but I cannot do it.
First of all, you cannot humanely kill anything unless it is willing to die or suffering with little hope for survival. The two words ”humane” and “kill” are opposites and cannot be used together. Like "wet" and "dry" or "cold" and "hot"; you can’t be wet and dry at the same time. The only time “humane” and “kill” could ever belong together is, like I stated above, if the killing is being done to prevent suffering. I'm not a hypocrite about this either; if I was suffering with little or no hope of survival I would welcome death.
Unlike most people, I am not scared of death, just the pain and suffering which would come before it. Death to me is like the big sleep. Now, finally, I can get some much needed rest.
I do not understand how somebody can work in a slaughter house. I could not work in an environment in which I am surrounded with death and suffering. It would take a toll on me. I guess the horrifying thing would be if you just accepted it, or even worse, if you pulled the trigger but it didn’t bother you. Like a serial killer. I guess we need people like this in our world after all.
The West is the only society in the world which hunts on a full stomach. If I was starving then maybe I could kill an animal and eat it. I am lucky I have never been so hungry as to have thoughts of killing for food.
Maybe it is just that in my mind, life is so precious, such a beautiful thing that every creature should have the right to live without the fear of being murdered. The only time you should lose this right is if you are a predator who kills innocent people/creatures for pleasure. Then I have no mercy for you at all.
On a positive note, we are planning our vacation for the spring. It will be Virginia this year. We will be flying into Norfolk on 4/13 for another adventure. Nightly photos will be posted if I am lucky enough to stay in a hotel with Internet access. From relaxing on the beach to visiting historic locations, Virginia seems to have a variety of things to do. Also, I am trying to find some haunted locations for us to explore.
Here is where I am a hypocrite (everybody has one thing, right?) I hate the slaughtering of animals but yet I am addicted to meat. I love to barbeque over the open fire; steak is my favorite meal. I have seen what happens in a slaughter house and it truly disturbs me yet I cannot end my addiction to meat. Every once in a while I will eat only a salad if I’m not too hungry or have an upset stomach, but I am not truly satisfied until I eat meat. I have tried many times to change this behavior but I cannot do it.
First of all, you cannot humanely kill anything unless it is willing to die or suffering with little hope for survival. The two words ”humane” and “kill” are opposites and cannot be used together. Like "wet" and "dry" or "cold" and "hot"; you can’t be wet and dry at the same time. The only time “humane” and “kill” could ever belong together is, like I stated above, if the killing is being done to prevent suffering. I'm not a hypocrite about this either; if I was suffering with little or no hope of survival I would welcome death.
Unlike most people, I am not scared of death, just the pain and suffering which would come before it. Death to me is like the big sleep. Now, finally, I can get some much needed rest.
I do not understand how somebody can work in a slaughter house. I could not work in an environment in which I am surrounded with death and suffering. It would take a toll on me. I guess the horrifying thing would be if you just accepted it, or even worse, if you pulled the trigger but it didn’t bother you. Like a serial killer. I guess we need people like this in our world after all.
The West is the only society in the world which hunts on a full stomach. If I was starving then maybe I could kill an animal and eat it. I am lucky I have never been so hungry as to have thoughts of killing for food.
Maybe it is just that in my mind, life is so precious, such a beautiful thing that every creature should have the right to live without the fear of being murdered. The only time you should lose this right is if you are a predator who kills innocent people/creatures for pleasure. Then I have no mercy for you at all.
On a positive note, we are planning our vacation for the spring. It will be Virginia this year. We will be flying into Norfolk on 4/13 for another adventure. Nightly photos will be posted if I am lucky enough to stay in a hotel with Internet access. From relaxing on the beach to visiting historic locations, Virginia seems to have a variety of things to do. Also, I am trying to find some haunted locations for us to explore.
Labels: Movie Review, Rant
posted by DarthImmortal at 7:23 AM
8 Comments:
Very interesting.
I'm not a HUGE meat-eater (though I do enjoy the occasional red steak), but I don't particularly have qualms about killing animals, in the abstract. I think there are right and wrong ways to go about it.
The point about it being inhumane to kill unless the being to be killed WANTS to die, I think can really only apply to humans. It's very difficult, if not sometimes impossible, to tell what animals "want." I do think that, spiritually and mentally, humans are importantly different from animals. I think there are humane ways to kill animals. I don't think that this is done, by and large (except, in general, where pets are concerned. I think it's compassionate to euthanize pets who are in pain with little to no chance of recovery).
I agree with you that the West, in its unending Obesity Quest, kills way too much. If we would tend to what we have and take only what we need, not only would we be better people overall, but frankly, we'd be a lot wealthier than we are. If we weren't wasting so many resources on our expanding wastelines we could expend them on more useful pursuits. Note this is all hypothetical, as our corporatist market would make short work of any additional wealth to go around.
I guess I see the operative issue as being 1) whether the benefit of killing outweighs the cost and 2) whether the killing is done in a manner that does not cause unnecessary pain to the animal. Thus, I'm opposed to fur but not to steak. The benefit of eating is pretty high. The (general welfare) benefit of social status is relatively low. It's probably not a perfect calculus but I think it's at least decent.
Law Fairy,
I did edit that paragraph where I talked about humane and killing. I think it better explains my opinions and gives more insight into my feelings.
I completely understand your points but if you watch the film you will see these animals do suffer before they die. They have a guy with what looks like a nail gun that shoots them in the head. As they writhe in pain they are skinned and parts are chopped off. I don’t think they are dead when the chopping begins.
Some cattle are killed by hanging upside down and then slitting their throats. This takes an even longer time to die. Again, they are chopped up and skinned while they are still dying. While I understand and support the killing for survival and believe the primary motivation for killing is this reason, I do not support the methods used in this film. At least let them die before you begin slaughtering them.
Darth, agreed agreed agreed. I think what happens in our slaughterhouses is completely immoral. My point was more that I am okay with killing in the abstract. There are right ways and wrong ways to kill animals.
I am definitely guilty of hypocrisy in this case. While it's not the focus of my food intake, I definitely like some meat in my meals. However, I honestly don't know if I would be able to wring a chicken's neck if it ever came down to that.
As for the slaughtering of animals, it makes me wonder about the effect of food labeling nowadays. (Not having seen that movie/read the book, I'm not sure if this was addressed.) With so much focus on organic food items, cage-free eggs, etc., wouldn't it instead be much more telling if they started labeling meats as "Humane" (for lack of a better term) versus "Conventional," much like Whole Foods labels items "Organic" versus "Conventional?"
There's been a huge increase in the organic foods market, a large part of which is response to consumer demand. Perhaps if consumers were to demand "humane" techniques, the Man will finally listen to the one thing he listens to: money.
I picked this film up over the weekend along with a documentary about Enron, and have not seen either yet. After reading what you wrote (which was excellent by the way) I am not sure I am going to be able to watch the parts when the animals are getting killed. I love chicken and steak too, but I can say that I am moving closer to becoming a vegetarian.
Speaking of traveling...I am going to be in Virgina and South Carolina in early May with my family. I have done a bit of searching myself for some known hot spots for paranormal activity. With these states being home to the civil war there are a lot of haunted places there. Check out this link I found for you
http://theshadowlands.net
/places/virginia.htm
This should help :)
Did you ever see Super Size Me?
Odderie,
Awesome question! I would think humane treatment of animals should be paramount but since “humane” and “killing” are opposites it’s difficult to enforce. I don’t think most people would pay more for food in which the quick and painless death of animals are guaranteed. Even if I was willing to pay more, I am sure many slaughter houses would cheat anyway. The only way to guaranteed animals are treated ethically is to avoid slaughtering them but I cannot stop eating meat.
Aura,
Thanks for the link, there are many haunted places in Virginia and I hope I get to see a couple of them.
The Enron documentary was amazing but typical of men in power. They only want more power and control over everything and everyone. They only secure their own interests and usually care very little for anyone else. They will sell the entire company as long as they are compensated; screw everybody else.
A few other awesome documentaries to watch are: American: From Freedom To Fascism, Terrorstorm and Stupidity. Those will open your eyes in a big hurry.
Elizabeth,
I did see Supersize Me and though it was brilliant.
I will have to check those two out. Thanks!
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